Leeds United Service Crew

Samson · Post by **Samson** » Mon 07 Jul, 2008 1:30 am

"These lads, who got four years apiece, were unlucky. It could have any of 2-3 thousand lads who were only doing the same thing, namely following their team and getting in a few rucks"."I do believe, though, that football violence is very much a part of our social history, and reasons for it need to be looked at closer than the treatment it gets in the press and courts. Why someone can be locked up for 4 years for wanting to fight with like minded individuals"I could write an essay, but I can not be really bothered. This is awful. If we are sinking to this level then Lord help usANYONE who involves themselves in mindless football violence and thinks it is just " involved in a ruck" is really lacking. I am not going to spell it out. " Why someone can be locked up for 4 years for wanting to fight with like minded individuals"A bullet to the head comes to mind. Really this is mindless drivel that takes away from all the good posts on here re the history of Leeds etc. etc.For God's sake pull the plug. This is truely awful! And I do not normally post like this, but I find this truely offensive drivel of the worst kind.

Hats Off · Post by **Hats Off** » Mon 07 Jul, 2008 10:48 am

I can see where your coming from Samson but wether we like it or not football violence is a part of the history of Leeds, sure we could all talk about the good old days & reminisce about the fun part of being a Loiner but Leeds & its people also has a darker side that we should not try to brush under the carpet just because it makes for uncomfortable reading. As was mentioned by another poster football violence is a part of the social fabric of this country (It's a myth that it has only been going on since the 60's/70's) and we can't ignore the fact that many people from this fair city have partaken in it at some point in their lives (usually when they were silly teenagers.) Those of us who follow LUFC find anything to do with the club and its followers interesting and that does include the not so savoury part of being a football fan.

Chrism · Post by **Chrism** » Mon 07 Jul, 2008 12:26 pm

I have to admit to being a part of the 'Leeds darker side' in the mid to late 70's. I was not a Service Crew member but I did hang out at the Gemini Bar with the SC. I still have a "NOTORIOUS LEEDS UNITED SERVICE CREW" tie-pin somewhere,I also only travelled on the football specials. There were SC members who were into, shall we say, ultraviolence, but the majority just wanted a good ruck after the match.

Samson · Post by **Samson** » Mon 07 Jul, 2008 11:54 pm

I am sorry for my previous post.I think I was wrong.Yes let them fight each other. We can use the stadia after the Olympics. We can arm them with various things like broken bottles, beer glasses, chairs, tables, Stanley knives and a few Gladitorial accessories. We can charge £100 a ticket to see the 'games' and the Prime Minister can come out and shoot the last one standing.Then we will have got rid of the lot and raised some money for charity!Yes lets have an organised ruck!! Let the games begin!

Samson · Post by **Samson** » Mon 07 Jul, 2008 11:57 pm

I am sorry for that, as it is incorrect. Gordon Brown would not have the 'bottle' to shoot the winner!!! LOL

Brandy · Post by **Brandy** » Tue 08 Jul, 2008 12:09 am

Samson wrote: I am sorry for that, as it is incorrect. Gordon Brown would not have the 'bottle' to shoot the winner!!! LOL thats all right then we will let the winner shoot Gordon Brown instead ? lol

Ruffarse · Post by **Ruffarse** » Tue 08 Jul, 2008 12:52 pm

Samson, I think that you have been living in barcode land for too long, pal. You seem to have completely missed the point re my post. Primarily, I was attempting to contribute to a post started by LS1 requesting some input on this subject. You are obviosly in favour of sweeping stuff like this under your back and white carpet. I prefer to confront. If you read my post again, you will will see I was not attempting to grorify of even recognise that the SC even existed. I was never, even in my teens, a hooli. However, I have been attacked several times and fought back. What would you do, run away? You would probably say, stop going to football, and this I did, prefering instead to play rugby, which is much safer.The point that I made about the 4 year sentences was, I admit, going off at a tangent, but it was adressed as an attack on the inconsistences of our judicary. Do you really think its OK for people to stab somenone or put someone in IC and get a slap on the wrist, when football related cases inevitably end up being custodial. Wake up and smell the flowers!Last of all, if you think my last post was unsavoury, please read some of my other posts re lost Leeds pubs, dance halls etc. Remember, this is an open forum, which means democratic, objective discussion.

Hats Off · Post by **Hats Off** » Tue 08 Jul, 2008 4:20 pm

It's a shame that just because someone doesn't like a thread or topic they become pompous. If I see a thread I have no interest in then I just don't respond to it. So you don't agree with football violence, well neither do I but I also know that it happens and it involves many people from Leeds. We could all pretend that Leeds is a Utopia where everyone tips their hats at passers by and no one ever locks their doors at night but in the REAL world bad things happen. The service crew were at the forefront of football related hooliganism for many years and it would be wrong if it were not allowed to be discussed on this forum simply because someone doesn't agree with it. If you think football hooliganism is as low as it gets then you really are out of touch with the modern world. If a thread was started on Leeds involvment in the 7/7 atrocities would you try to ridicule that thread because it involved something that you don't like to discuss ? Please show some respect to other posters who like to discuss ALL things Leeds and not just the nice and fluffy stuff.

big s · Post by **big s** » Tue 08 Jul, 2008 10:22 pm

not all service crew visits to other towns ended in violence.sometimes it was just "being there" that mattered.trust me, i know.

Reginal Perrin · Post by **Reginal Perrin** » Wed 09 Jul, 2008 11:32 am

I've flicked through the Service Crew book as Ioccasionally found myself on the fringes of the odd kerfuffle. It was always blown out of all proportion and the propoganda was worse than the things that went on. I found that a lot of the lads were from deprived backgrounds and found a kind of belonging in the hooligans "family". They looked after their own and expected nothing more than a bit of presence and suppor tinn return. Not saying it was right and I wasn't comfortable with it but some of the lads who hadn't much of a life at home took refuge in their midst.It was just another form of youth gang mentallity following on from the Teddy Boys, Mods, Rockers, Skins, etc. No different.It's valid social comment to discuss it.